Semiconductor dies are routinely connected to larger circuit boards such as motherboards and other types of printed circuit boards (PCBs) via a package substrate. A package substrate typically has two sets of connection points, a first set for connection to the die or multiple dies and a second less densely-packed set for connection to the PCB. A package substrate generally consists of an alternating sequence of a plurality of organic insulation or dielectric layers and a plurality of patterned electrically conductive layers forming traces between the insulation layers. Stripline and microstrip are two common integrated circuit designs for package substrates. Stripline architecture has a signal line layer sandwiched between two ground planes. Microstrip architecture only has a ground plane below the signal line layer. In most applications, stripline is preferred over microstrip as it has lower crosstalk, even though it requires an additional layer. Continued advancements in integrated circuit technology have resulted in the need for package substrates having fewer layers, higher electrical performance, and lower crosstalk.